Wichita eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1886-1890, 1887-07-07
ana entertaining, put may / MAKE one re-

every well"
eff you go on in this way shall never
know what you wanted to tell me. We
are losing the way"
''You are very unjust, Mr.. Tort.
| don't see how I could have told it any
| shorter. But I will hurry along. You
see, now, the surroundings in which /
found myself the first time saw Lieut..
Scratch. 1t was absolutely necessary to
describe them. You can see how he must
have been bored. The litterateur had
taken him off into corner and was read
ing him some of his own verses. Finally,
| the young lieutenant succeeded in shaking
off his tormentor and came to me. lie
| described, in the liveliest manner, the
painful situation from which he had just
rescued himself. The young Apollo did
| not wish to attract attention, and he got
so near Scratch that he not only felt the
| fellows breath, but-sOmething else.
"The lieutenant said that it was like
| standing near fountain from which the
spray fell over one. We laughed first at
| the poor poet and then at the other mas
terpieces of the company. Wewere enter
tanning ourselves charmingly and every
thing would have been all right if my
husband had not been in the parlor. That
l.
thought should prefer to converse with
him!
"Some days after we got his card,
Lewis Scratch, lieutenant of engineers. ,
In the course of a week he was so courte-
GUS as to call. l had another caller at the
time, Mrs. Rentz- Chamberlain. You know
her, of course, Mr.. Tort-the one with the
glass eye You see, it was no tete-a-tete.
1l,+ no 1oir hos OWL
tongue and she gave it free rein almost
before she got out of the house. If you
will believe her, / appointed a rendezvous
with Scratch. Only an old, ugly woman
could concoct such gossip. The fact is, 1
told Scratch that 1 usually went to drive
in the park about 4. One must talk of
something! Can l help it if o'clock is
the most convenient time for taking
walk?
II rode out to the park. He went on
foot, and you know as well as | that no
body considers it anything remarkable if
foot passenger in the park stands for
moment on carriage step and chats with
an acquaintance. Once l left the carriage
for few minutes. 1 needed exercise; SO
/ took short walk"-
"With the heutenantr"
was too funny! Imagine my horror when
/ saw Mrs Glassblower, fairly intoxi-
Gated with delight at her escapade, walk
ing up and down side path with gen.
tleman whom / knew very well. Her
gallant is member of the legislature, and
it would be much more sensible for him
to 60 up to Albany, where it is hard, they
say, to get quorum to carry on business
but don't believe in troubling myself
about other peoples affairs.
81 believe we walked ten minutes, and
the consequence? Horrible! First,
command never to go to the park at 4
O'Clock again; second, a command to go
to Boston at once and pass ''some weeks
with my husbands family.
''But now comes a new casus belli. Eight
days later Scratch was also in Boston.
shop'' like TO know if am answerable
for his actions? Can't anyone go where
he will? Railroads are for common use.
My dear mother in law, of course, read
me long sermons full of sounding NOR
atty and virtue. She certainly did not
have much call for sermonizings. She
ought to think of her own youth-for you
see Mr.. Tort, though you may be disin-
clined to believe it, my mother in law was
young once
At this instant the clock ON the mantel
began to strike.
'Three o'clock, isn't it, asked Doretta?"
"No, f.
''Four o'clock? Gracious mel I can't
stay minute lOnger-I've ordered the
carriage for $50. Why, promised Lew
-Mr.-I've an awfully important engage
ment, you know. l wouldn't miss it for
anything"
but, Doretta, you have only told
Another time. To-day it is really i'm
possible. You've heard my confession"
eyes, my dear child; but as yet you
have only confessed the sins of others.
Your own
"Are SO few they deserve complete alb
solution. hope my parents will look on
it in that light"
'Only moment" protested Mr.. Tort,
as Doretta hurriedly prepared to go.
'Not a second longer. 1t is late now.
I am greatly obliged, Mr.. Tort. Good
byr'
Mrs. Van Dyke whisked out Of the
room as quickly as q wag tail slips into
the reeds. Her father confessor remained
sitting alone, and his face wore thought
full, puzzled Observation-Disclosures Owen
in New York News.